I've been a gym nut off and on throughout my adult life and then took a years' worth of aerial silks courses (6 months, two times a week except for a couple off weeks), that established my foundations. It's been a couple years off, and I've been a student so not as fit as I used to be. I'm completing my thesis and will soon find myself with more time on my hands, so I've been doing some basic strength and core training. I have a friend with silks in her garage, so I've been able to practice a little on those, which has been great!

But now that I'm (using youtube videos to assist my) going back and remembering how to do everything I was taught, I realized I need help with these two things:

Any suggestions for bringing grip back? My core and arms are willing, but when I climb, I'm sliding. In the moment my feet let go, my hands start to slide down the silks.

I have always been upside-down averse. I'm not very big, but I have much heavier legs than I do torso. As a kid, I remember I would easily flip upside down on swingset trapezes and rings, but now, I will jump up like I used to, and my legs go no where, or a little awry. I very much feel it is a mind over matter thing. Like my mind isn't communicating with my body, or there's something inside that doesn't want to do it. The only way I can get upside-down is by practicing with a hoop (friend has those , too. Lucky me!). Any advice for getting upside-down from the ground? The main thing this is important for is for me to do the hipkey, which I remember we used a lot in class.

I think if I could improve on these two things, I'd be willing to plonk down and sign up for a beginner/intermediate class, but don't want to waste my time and money until I'm back up to par. I was previously a good climber, but have never been good at the hipkey from the ground.

So, I'm trying to do some research for an rpg-type thingy I'm making. I'm trying to figure out the distance roughly one front handspring, one back handspring, one front flip and one cartwheel are individually. I'm specifically looking for stats for average height and 6'. Also the timing it takes to perform them. I'm not expecting exact here, but that would be awesome. Any comment is greatly appreciated! Thanks!